Propeller/impeller blade apparatus

ABSTRACT

A medium mover/reactionary surface can be used a propeller, impeller, wind generator blade, mixer and the like. The blade design has a shape that pulls against itself under load to maintain its intended shape. The blade design includes one or more generally flat or contoured strip-like sections. These strip-like sections can be attached at their centers to a hub and at the tips to create rake and pitch.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. provisional application No. 61/563,704, filed Nov. 25, 2011, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to propeller/impeller blade design and, more particularly, to a propeller/impeller blade design that keeps its shape under load.

Blades are commonly used in various devices, such as propellers, wind generators, turbines, pumps, blowers, fans and other like apparatus. Whether used as a propeller or an impeller, an aircraft propeller, boat propeller or a fan, the blades themselves are essentially the same.

In general, such blades are twisted and angled to either propel a medium such as a liquid, gas or slurry past the blades or to cause a medium to impinge upon the blades to cause rotation of the blades about a shaft. For example, a boat propeller generally consists of two or more blades attached to a hub or shaft with the blades being twisted and raked backwards. The blades are symmetrically arranged around the circumference of the hub. The overall diameter, the amount of rake and the pitch of the blades all play a part in the performance of a propeller. Airplane propellers and fan blades are not unlike boat propellers, the difference being that air is moved rather than water.

Although somewhat useful for their intended purpose, conventional blades include certain inherent limitations and, therefore, have not proven to be entirely satisfactory. Specifically, the rake and pitch which may be achieved using conventional blades are limited because the transverse flow components of the conventional blades are diminished at the inner and outer ends of the blades, thereby wasting energy and losing efficiency. Furthermore, under load, the conventional blades are often unstable and must be constructed of rigid materials to maintain their stability. For instance, air craft propeller blades contort under load, bowing forward in relation to the direction of travel. Inefficient operation. Also, being restricted to rigid materials increases the cost of devices utilizing these conventional blades and limits the design alternatives, both functional and aesthetic, which can be achieved if other more flexible materials were used.

Some devices have been developed which differ from the conventional blade configurations. Most merely change the blade orientation with respect to the shaft so that the longitudinal axis of the blades are parallel to the shaft. Typically, these devices are specifically designed for use with wind turbines or mixers or agitators in a vertical orientation.

As can be seen, there is a need for an improved impeller/propeller blade design.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the present invention, a blade apparatus comprises at least one blade strip; blade tips of adjacent ones of at least one blade strip connected together; and a central region of each of at least one blade strip connected to a shaft.

In another aspect of the present invention, a blade apparatus comprises at least a first and second blade strip; blade tips of adjacent ones of the first and second blade strips connected together; a central region of each of the first and second blade strips connected to a shaft; and a hub interconnecting the central region of each of the first and second blade strips with the shaft.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a blade design according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the blade design of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the blade design of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a blade design according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a blade design according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a blade design according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a top view of the blade design of FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention provides a medium mover/reactionary surface that can be used as a propeller, impeller, wind generator blade, mixer and the like. The blade design has a shape that pulls against itself under load to maintain its intended shape. The blade design includes one or more generally flat or contoured strip-like sections. These strip-like sections can be attached at their centers to a hub and at the tips to create rake and pitch.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 3, a blade design 10 in a first configuration 24 can include one or more blade strips 12 having blade tips 14 that can be connected together. Connecting rods 16 can be used to connect together blade tips 14 of adjacent blade strips 12. Other connection mechanisms can be used within the scope of the present invention. For example, the blade tips 14 can be attached directly to each other to create connected blade tips 18 (see FIGS. 4 and 5).

The blade strips 12 can be attached at their centers to a shaft 20. Typically, a hub 22 can interconnect the blade strips 12 to the shaft 20. In some embodiments, the hub 22 can include a hub shaft to connect the blade strips 12 to the hub 22. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, and 5 the blade strips 12 extend generally perpendicular to an axis of the shaft 20.

Referring to FIG. 4, the blade strips 12 can extend generally parallel to an axis of the shaft 20. In this configuration 26, a medium can cause the blade strips 12 to turn the shaft 20 or the shaft 20 can turn the blade strips 12 to propel a medium, mix materials, or the like.

As shown in FIG. 5, the blade tips 18 can directly interconnect, without the use of a connecting rod 16, as described above. The blade strips 12 can be disposed in a root shaped blade configuration 28. Of course, other shapes or designs may be included within the scope of the present invention.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, the blade design of FIGS. 1 through 5 can be interwoven to form a woven together blade configuration 30. In the design shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a first set of two blade strips 12 can be disposed similar to that of FIGS. 1 through 5. Additional sets of blade strips 12 can be woven into the first set of blade strips 12. Typically, the first, second, or more sets of blade strips 12 can be woven generally perpendicular to each other. The sets of blade strips 12 are connected at their respective adjacent blade tips 14. Central regions of all sets of blade strips 12 can be connected to the shaft 20, typically via the blade hub 22.

The blade strips 12 can be made from various materials, such as wood, metal, plastic, composite, or the like. The blade strips 12 can be made from various manufacturing processes, including molded and machined.

The blade strips 12 can react to a medium, causing the shaft 20 to turn, or may be turned by turning the shaft 20 to move a medium. The blade design of the present invention can be used for a propeller, impeller, wind turbine, mixer and the like.

While the above drawings show the shaft disposed generally parallel or perpendicular to the axis of the blade strips, the shaft can be disposed at any angle relative to the orientation of blade strips.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A blade apparatus comprising: at least one blade strip; blade tips of adjacent ones of the at least one blade strip connected together; and a central region of each of the at least one blade strip connected to a shaft.
 2. The blade apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one blade strip includes two blade strips disposed alongside of each other, the blade tips of the two blade strips being connected together.
 3. The blade apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a hub interconnecting the central region of each of the at least one blade strip with the shaft.
 4. The blade apparatus of claim 1, wherein the shaft has a shaft axis generally perpendicular to an axis of the at least one blade strip.
 5. The blade apparatus of claim 1, wherein the shaft has a shaft axis generally parallel to an axis of the at least one blade strip.
 6. The blade apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one blade strip includes a first set of blade strips and at least one additional set of blade strips, the first set of blade strips woven with at least one additional set of blade strips.
 7. A blade apparatus comprising: at least a first and second blade strip; blade tips of adjacent ones of the first and second blade strips connected together; a central region of each of the first and second blade strips connected to a shaft; and a hub interconnecting the central region of each of the first and second blade strips with the shaft.
 8. The blade apparatus of claim 7, wherein the shaft has a shaft axis generally perpendicular to an axis of the first and at least one additional blade strip.
 9. The blade apparatus of claim 7, wherein the shaft has a shaft axis generally parallel to an axis of the first and at least one additional blade strip.
 10. The blade apparatus of claim 1, wherein, two or more blade sets are woven together. 